


Warmth

by Lakritzwolf



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Battle of Five Armies Fix-It, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-10 05:48:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7832728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakritzwolf/pseuds/Lakritzwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one knows that the Sons of Durin survived the Battle of the five Armies, and no one ever shall. Declared dead, they now can have a new life, without the burdens of a throne none of them wants anymore. A new beginning, and a new life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eef_the_Otter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eef_the_Otter/gifts).



> For eeftheotter, because I wanted to give something back for all the awesome edits she made me over on tumblr. Hope you like this, love!

The wind was tearing at his fur-trimmed hood, and snowflakes drifted into his eyes. He blinked them away and shuddered. 

_Coldness, snow, the cold rocks around him and the ice under him were draining all warmth out of his wounded, bleeding body. Brutal hands dragging him and pain... agonizing pain... the blade biting into his body and a searing agony before losing all sense of direction while suspended in the air..._

Fili adjusted his hood and ducked his head against the biting wind. More than once he had promised himself to stop thinking about it, but it was in moments like these, when the cold, harsh breath of winter chilled his bones, that he couldn’t help himself. 

He remembered it all too clearly, the terror of realising he had been trapped. No escape. Being dead while still breathing. He’d sworn himself he would go down fighting. He had fought as long as he had been able to grasp a sword. 

He lost his footing and stumbled, and with one arm stretched out to catch himself he remembered the searing agony and the sickening sensation of falling, and the red-hot explosion of pain before everything vanished. 

That he had opened his eyes still in this world and not in Mahal’s halls hadn’t necessarily been a relief. He had been in terrible pain for weeks, and he still had no idea what kind of magic had saved his life, and that of his uncle and his brother. 

For a while, Fili hadn’t been happy about the gift. He would rather have died saving the mountain than lying there in pain and hidden away from everyone’s eyes. It had taken his pain-addled mind a long time to grasp what had happened.

Everyone had seen them die. Fili, Kili and Thorin, Sons of Durin and Princes and King under the Mountain, had fallen in the Battle of the five Armies. 

That they had, in fact, not died but had been saved by magic Fili had no means to understand, was something less than a handful of dwarves, a pair of elves and a wizard knew. And think what he might of elves, they could keep a secret. And Gandalf sure was very apt at keeping things and thoughts hidden from others.

_Even if they are things he should not have kept a secret in the first place_ , Fili thought wryly. 

And dwarves... well, dwarves were as stubborn as the rock from which Mahal had made them. Those few who knew were more than happy about it and had no interest in another war and bad blood about the line of a throne none of them wanted anymore. There were Dwalin and Balin who knew, and Bifur who had helped carry them to safety. And if there was one dwarf who was used to keeping thoughts to himself, it was him. 

Fili straightened up and sighed, blinking snowflakes out of his eyes. Everyone else of the Company still believed them dead. The fewer knew, the less likely they would ever be discovered. But to think that his dear old friends still mourned him made his heart ache. 

Kili, Fili and Thorin had become one with the stone and were buried beneath the halls of Erebor, in the sacred tombs of their forefathers. Everyone had seen them, seen their dead bodies laid out for the funeral. 

No one of those who had paid their respects down there but three dwarves and a wizard had known that those had been the bodies of three nameless dwarven warriors upon which Gandalf had cast a glamour, to make them look like the sons of Durin. 

Fili had no idea what exactly had happened to him after the fall; he had come to his senses in the halls of the Woodland Realm, wrapped in bandages and still under a heavy influence of pain-killing draughts. He had asked Gandalf why they had been saved and yet had been declared dead.

_The throne of Erebor has a king_ , Gandalf had replied. _It is a new beginning. Thorin would always have suffered from the shadow of the dragon sickness, and you, his heirs and closest kin, would never have been free of that shadow, either. A new beginning, a new line of kings. The line of Durin, but without the taint of madness that came with Thror’s blood._

Go home, Gandalf had said.

And that was what they had done. 

Thorin was hardly recognisable these days, he was a dwarf of strong spirit and free laughter, a very different person from the future king setting out to reclaim his homeland from a dragon. He had done what he had set out to do: Reclaim Erebor and free it from the rule of the dragon. Now freed of the burden of leadership and the throne, he was his own dwarf for the first time in his life. 

Kili, adventurous soul that he was, spent little time in the mountains. 

Fili, on the other hand, had found the comfort of mountains as warm and welcoming as the embrace of his mother. 

They had settled down in the southern reaches of the Blue Mountains, where folk had heard of the sons of Durin but no one actually knew them. Folks had asked, more jokingly, about his hair and the Golden Lion of Durin, and Fili usually said with a wink that one of his ancestors had likely been born on the wrong side of the sheets, and that was the end of it. 

The mountains. Solid earth, solid rock. Fili felt at home here in a way that he would never have thought possible. In more than one way. He smiled to himself and breathed a sigh of relief when the shadow of the mountain appeared in the darkness swirling with snowflakes. 

One of the guards hailed him as he approached the gate. “Felin. How was the hunt?”  
“Dreadful and fruitless.” By now Fili had gotten used to bearing the name of his father. “I’m more than glad to be home, empty-handed or not.”

The guards at the gate let him pass with a nod, and once he had shaken the worst of the snow out of his clothes and furs, Fili made his way down the large flight of stairs into the caverns of the Greythorn Peak. His home. A home filled with warmth, laughter and love.

He would never have thought it possible to find someone like her. Her laugh, her mischievous sense of humour, was what had captured his eyes, but her shyness she had hidden behind all that was what had captured his heart. He couldn’t help but smile; he could see her bright, radiant smile, the shine in her dark eyes the colour of well-aged oak wood, the mass of rich, silky dark curls. 

And that warm, supple body, with just the right mix of female softness with the strong muscles of a healthy dwarrowdam. Fili inhaled deeply, eager with every fibre of his body go get home again

Nearing the door of his quarters he could smell freshly baked bread, and it made his mouth water. He had run out of provisions earlier that day and now came home not only empty-handed but also starving. But all frustration and the tiredness and the coldness in his bones were slowly dispelled by the warmth of his own hearth and the warmth in the eyes of his wife. 

“Fili!” She straightened up and wiped her hands on her apron. “Welcome home!”  
“You have no idea how good it is to see you, my gemstone.” Fili shrugged the heavy fur coat off his shoulders. “I am chilled to the bones, and hungry, and tired.” He spread the coat on the bench before the fire. “And I come with empty hands, too.”

Ecka poured some ale from the flagon into a tankard and took the poker out of the embers of the fire. She stuck it into the ale to warm it and then handed the mug to her husband. 

“This should take care of the worst of the cold,” she said with a small wink. “And then there is a new loaf just cooled enough to eat, and an oxtail stew.”  
“I love you,” Fili said, closing his eyes as he savoured the warm ale while sitting down next to his coat. 

Her warm, strong hands came to rest on his shoulders and gently dug into muscles stiff with cold and exertion. 

“And I love you, my golden prince.”

Fili smiled into the fire. He had not wanted to start his new life with a lie, and yet he had had no choice about it. But he had not wanted to lie to the woman he loved, and Ecka had taken the news with surprise, but had gravely sworn she would never breathe a word about it. She called him her golden prince only in the safety of their own home, affectionately and full of love.

Fili’s smile widened and he took a generous swig of his ale. Ecka’s hands wandered up his neck and her deft and strong fingers threaded into his hair. 

“You are still cold, my prince,” she said softly. “Should I maybe warm you?”  
Fili laughed softly. “I’m afraid you will have to feed me first, otherwise I might just perish.”

Ecka laughed, her dark eyes sparkling, and went to the stove to fill the two bowls on the table with steaming stew, rich and fragrant with herbs, onion and dark, roasted meat. Another ale went with it, and Fili sat down at the table and dug in. The bread was still a bit warm and when he had used the last bit to mop up the last of his stew, he leaned back with a deep sigh of contentment.

“Thank you, my love.”  
“You are most welcome.” Ecka got up and took away the dishes to clean them while Fili walked over to the hearth where his pipe and pipe weed were resting on the mantelpiece. He lit himself a pipe and stretched out his legs to bring his feet closer to the fire. 

Listening to the sounds of blissful domesticity as Ecka puttered around in the kitchen Fili felt his eyelids grow heavy, but then Ecka was back and her strong, deft hands came to rest on his shoulders again.

“You are tired, my love. You should go to bed.”  
Fili put his pipe down onto the bench next to him and rested his hands on top of hers. “Will I have to go there alone?” He asked softly.  
“I have to admit I am feeling the slightest bit tired as well, my love.”

Fili twisted his head to look up at her and smiled. Ecka held out a hand to him and he let her help him help up. After stretching and arching his back Fili rested his hands on her shoulders and trailed them up to cradle her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing through the soft hair on her jaw and cheeks.

Ecka bit her lower lip with a coy smile, and rested her hands on Fili’s hips, hooking her thumbs into his belt. “Let me help you with those heavy garments, my love. I am sure your fingers are still a little stiff with cold.”  
“Oh, I am sure I can find a few cosy spots to warm them up again.”

Fili lowered his eyelids and leaned forward to brush the side of her neck with his lips. He had had to sacrifice his moustache braids in favour of leaving his old name and identity behind, and sometimes he still missed them, but that didn’t mean that his beard on her skin didn’t make her shudder. 

He trailed his lips down the side of her neck and pulled her closer. She sighed and dug her fingers into his hair while tilting her head to give him better access. As he nipped the soft skin with his lips Fili sneaked his hand around her waist and deftly undid her apron that he dropped to the ground. 

“I have a fine fire going in the hearth of the bedroom as well,” Ecka sighed with closed eyes. “We would not have to feel cold there either.”  
“With you in my arms I would not feel cold within the middle of a snow storm,” Fili whispered against her skin. “You set my heart on fire, Ecka, and it burns brighter than the greatest forge.”

Ecka chuckled softly and scratched her fingernails across Fili’s head and down the back of his neck. He let his head drop onto her shoulder with a hum. Ecka breathed a kiss onto the tip of his ear and he shuddered, then she stepped back with a smile. She held out her hand an Fili took it, and after exchanging a soft smile and an even softer kiss, they headed for the bedroom. 

Ecka went down into a crouch in front of the fireplace to stoke the fire, and a few sparks flew up and vanished into the darkness of the chimney. She put another log into the fire, and when she straightened up, Fili stepped behind her and began to unlace her bodice. 

“It seems like your fingers are not stiff from the cold after all,” Ecka whispered as she smiled into the fire.  
Having undone the lacing, Fili gently pushed the top of her dress forward so it fell down her arms, then he ran a finger across the neckline of her shift. “I will not take that bait, my love,” he said with a smile, and the feather-light touch of his fingers made her shudder. “But I will let you find out if my fingers are still cold or not.” With that, he undid the bronze clasp that held the girdle of her dress together at her lower back, and the dress slid off her body and pooled at her feet. 

Ecka leaned back and rested her back against Fili’s chest as his hands sneaked around her waist. He leaned forward and kissed her temple, her cheek and her jaw, nuzzled the soft curly hair and trailed more kisses down her neck and across the shoulder as far as the neckline of the shift would allow. His hands wandered around her hips and came to rest on the soft curve of her belly, then followed the curve of her hips and further up. Ecka’s sigh was closer to a soft moan when his hands came to rest on her breasts, soft, full and round. She rested her hands atop his and dropped her head back so it came to rest on his shoulder.

“Turn around,” Fili whispered softly and dropped his hands.  
Ecka turned around to face him, and with a soft smile, she reached out and undid the buckle of his heavy belt. “This looks uncomfortable,” she whispered. “Let me help you.”  
“If you insist.” Fili winked at her and she chuckled, her eyes shining with warmth. 

She had quickly undone the buckle and dropped the belt, and Fili shrugged the heavy vest made of fur-lined leather off his shoulders. Then she slid her hands under the thick, long-sleeved woollen tunic and Fili inhaled deeply through his nose, then exhaled on a long sigh as her fingers caressed the skin on his back. He lifted his arms and Ecka took hold of the hem of the tunic and pulled it up. 

After dropping the garment she ran both hands down his chest and through the rich, golden hair on his finely shaped pectorals. She stepped forward and dropped a few kisses on his right shoulder, then his left, while her hands trailed up and down his arms. With another deep and heavy sigh, Fili closed his arms around her and pulled her close. With one hand he held her, while the other sneaked up into her hair. He found the clasp and carefully undid it, and after dropping that pulled out three finely carved hairpins made of maple wood, polished to a pearly shine. Those had been his first courting gift to her, and he had spent many hours on them. There had not been a single day since he had given them to her that she had not worn them.

He let go of her and stepped towards the bed where he placed the hairpins onto the nightstand, and she gifted him with a warm smile, eyes full of love and desire, as he unbuckled his belt. While he got rid of his boots she was fiddling with the lacing that held the neckline of her shift, and Fili didn’t take his eyes off her as he put his boots aside. He got up again and unlaced his trousers. 

Their eyes met as Fili dropped the trousers and he stepped out of them and towards her with his breathing coming faster now. She had the fire at her back, and with the light behind her the silhouette of her body was visible through the thin fabric of her shift. 

“My beautiful, beautiful wife,” he whispered as he stepped towards her, the tight smallclothes he was wearing unable to conceal the evidence of his desire. “Most precious of all gemstones...” He sighed deeply and shook his head. “I would slay a dragon armed with naught but a knife to be with you.”  
She cast her eyes down and bit her lip. “It would have to be a small dragon, in that case.”  
“The smallest ones are the most vicious,” Fili said with a small smirk as he stepped closer and closed his hands around her hips again. “And I would face down every single one for you, my love.”

Ecka leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss onto his lips. “And yet I would rather face dragon fire and death myself than see you hurt again like this,” she whispered with a tremor in her voice as her hand came to rest on his abdomen and the thick, ugly scar under his last rib. “And here... sometimes I still cannot fathom how lucky I am for you to have survived so many ordeals and have come back to the mountains of your birth. Mahal has truly blessed the day that I met you.”

Their eyes met again, and with a soft smile and warm eyes, Fili rested two fingers under her chin and lifted her face. Her lips parted ever so slightly as he leaned forward, and then their lips met in a soft, tender kiss. Opening her lips Ecka buried her fingers into Fili’s thick, golden mane, and he tightened his hold and pulled her close. Their kiss deepened, and their breathing picked up speed. 

As they kissed, Fili let his hands roam Ecka’s back and gently dug his fingers into her ample bottom. She leaned against him, increasing the pressure on his already hard and needy manhood, and he buried his face into her curls with a low hum. 

“Come, my love,” Ecka whispered into his hair. “Let us lie down by the fire to keep warm.”  
“If the fire is only half as warm as your heart then I shall never freeze again, my love,” Fili muttered and trailed soft kisses down her neck and shoulder. 

His fingers found the lacing of her shift and with a gentle tug, the knot came undone. Another soft tug, and the neckline was wide enough for the shift to slide down her shoulders. Smiling at Fili under lowered eyelids Ecka stepped free of the garment and beckoned him towards the thick bearskin rug in front of the fire where she settled down without taking her eyes off him.

Fili spent a few moments in silent appreciation of the beauty that was his wife, how the firelight danced across her ample body and strong, muscular limbs, how it gave her hair a bright, coppery aura while leaving the triangle of curls between her legs a dark mystery leading to hidden treasure. 

His heart was racing as he undid the lacing of his own last piece of clothing, and he could see Ecka’s eyes come to rest on him in unmasked desire as he dropped the fabric. 

“Do you like what you see?” He asked with a low chuckle.  
“I would like it even more if I wouldn’t only have to look at it,” she replied with what was almost a purr. “Come here, my love.”

Fili obeyed willingly and lowered himself down at her side. He traced her cheekbone with one finger, and let that finger wander down her neck, shoulder and arm. On its way back that finger left its former path and brushed one of Ecka’s nipples. She closed her eyes with a sigh and Fili took it between thumb and forefinger and gently twisted it with a cautious tug, eliciting a soft moan from her. 

Fili let go and sat up, and with a smile, took Ecka by the shoulders and pressed her down into the bearskin rug to lean over her for a passionate kiss that quickly turned hungry. They hadn’t been with each other for three nights and almost newlywed as they were, to them it seemed far too long. 

While Ecka’s fingers now combed through his hair Fili covered her face with gentle kisses and nipped the soft skin on her neck before trailing his kisses further down. She moaned on a sigh in anticipation as his kisses moved past her collarbone and across the soft mounds of her breasts. Her sounds then turned into heavier moans when Fili closed his lips around one nipple while his fingers toyed with the other. 

He knew very well how she loved the contrast between the softness of his lips and the scratch of his beard, and he used that knowledge to full advantage. Shifting his attention to the other nipple he smiled to himself while listening to her urgent little moans, and while one hand now toyed with the other nipple the other hand roamed cautiously further down her body. 

His fingers carding through the firm curls below her navel he increased the pressure of his fingers around her nipple and sucked a little harder on the other, and she opened her legs with a moan of his name. 

“Fili, my love,” she whispered. “Please... I want you so much...”

Smiling around the soft skin between his lips Fili moved his hand even lower and let one cautious finger explore the warm sanctuary of her body, to discover that she was more than ready for him. Yet in sheer joy and anticipation he explored the moist, silky heat a little more, found the small nub that brought her so much pleasure, and brought forth the most delicious and needy moans from her lips. 

Yet his own need grew steadily the more he caressed her body, and he finally let go of her nipple and withdrew his hand before he sat up. 

He could see her chest heave with heavy breaths; her eyes were wide and her lips were parted, and with a small smile she opened her legs a little, giving him a small glimpse of the treasure that was his for the taking and would be surrendered all too willingly. 

Shaking his head with a fond and most likely very lovesick smile Fili leaned over her, kissed her again and then finally rolled on top of her. She opened her legs and he closed his eyes as he lowered himself onto her, and her arms closed around his shoulders as he entered her body with a low moan of his own. 

For a moment they just remained like this, joined in perfect unity, before Fili started to move in slow, deep thrusts. She lifted her hips to meet him with every move, and soon they found their rhythm, their moans mingling and the fire casting their tangled limbs in a golden-coppery sheen. 

Her fingers dug into the muscles of his back and their kisses were hungry and messy now, full of desire and interspersed with moans and gasps that drowned out the crackling of the fire. 

Fili knew her body well, and he knew her wants and needs and always made sure she found her completion first, and to him there was no sweeter sound than his own name coming from her lips as she did so. The heavy pulsing around his manhood now drew him forward as well, and he increased speed and intensity of his thrusts until he, too, reached his peak and found sweet release of his hunger while her arms were holding him firmly and her fingers buried into his hair. 

With all his energy drained out of him for a moment he then collapsed onto her body, but she had told him several times that he never grew too heavy for her. And so he relished the heavy warmth that spread in his body now while her hands caressed his back and toyed with his hair, and he listened to the soft endearments she whispered with a smile on his lips. 

Eventually though he had to move and he rolled down from her and onto his back, and she curled up at his side and bedded her head on his shoulder, her hand now roaming his chest and toying with the wiry, golden curls. 

Close to each other, skin on skin, they now relished each other’s company, in comfortable silence while listening to the crackling of the fire that burned merrily in the hearth. 

“I could tell you a hundred times how much I love you and I still wouldn’t get close to how much I actually do,” Fili muttered after a long time of companionable silence. “I would never have thought that I would find a love like this in my new life.”  
“You deserve it, my golden prince.”

Fili turned his head to look at her face and found her smile at him with a warmth in her eyes that made his heart stumble.

“Deserve love, or a new life?”  
“Both.” She smiled, a strange smile now, a smile Fili had never seen before. She reached out and closed her fingers around one of his hands. “Love and a new life. And...” Her smile softened even more and she took his hand and rested it on her lower belly. “And a new life.”

It took Fili a moment to grasp what she meant, and he pulled her into a fierce embrace while burying his face into her curls. 

If there was a sob coming from his lips, overwhelmed by emotions he could not name as he was, then Ecka made no sign that she heard it. And if there were tears that he hid in her hair, then she did not let on if she noticed them or not. 

Instead, she held him tighter, and after he let go of her, she spent a long time lying there with his face resting on her lower belly, her fingers carding through his hair and her eyes shining soft with love.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My dear friend eeftheotter asked for some fluffy, domestic happiness for Fili and his wife, and how could I not comply? I hope you like this, love!

It had been a long and hard day in the forges, and after frequenting the bathhouse, Fili headed back to his quarters further up in the mountain, grateful for the fire and meal he knew awaited him there.

He smiled to himself as he ascended the stairs. Home. It was only the mountain for him now. He had been born in Ered Luin in the upper settlements and had spent most of his life outside the mountain, but since he had come back to the Blue Mountains he had all but turned into a deep-dwarf and rarely left the mountain he had chosen as his home. He hardly saw the sun anymore, and he didn’t miss it.

The thought made him think of his brother who still travelled the lands as trader and hunter, mostly as an escort for merchants or wandering blacksmiths. Kili had always been untameable, and that hadn’t changed even after he had been forced to become someone else. 

And as if summoned by his thoughts, he could hear the familiar and beloved voice hail him.

“Felin!”

Fili spun around. “Kamdi!”

Kili hurried towards him and the brothers had their arms around each other. 

“Kamdi, my friend, how does the day greet you?”  
“Usually with a hangover,” Kili replied with his boyish grin.   
Fili shook his head with a fond smile. “I didn’t think the caravan would be back by now already.”  
Kili shrugged. “It went better than expected. They sold all the wares so there was no point in travelling on.”  
“True enough.” Fili draped an arm around Kili’s shoulder. “Where are you lodging?”  
“I was thinking about one of the common rooms up at the...”  
“The commons?” Fili interrupted him. “Absolutely not. You know we have a spare room for guests. And you, my friend, are always welcome.”

Kili inclined his head. “Thank you. I have to say I really prefer Ecka’s cooking to the gruel they serve in the upper inns.”

Fili slapped his back and together they headed towards Fili’s home.

Having reached the door to his quarters he could smell freshly baked bread and the smile on his face softened. He opened the door and was immediately assaulted by dwarflings.

“Adad! Adad!” Embla beamed at him and showed him a piece of cloth with something that was just recognisable as embroidery. “See what I made today!”  
“Very good, my little gemstone.” Fili took the cloth. “You’re making great progress.”

She wasn’t, but her lack of talent – and dedication – for needlework wasn’t something her parents discussed openly.

“Adad!” Little Fjalin came running towards him and threw his arms around Fili’s midriff.  
“Hello, little warrior,” Fili laughed and ruffled his son’s hair.  
“Were you in the forge?”  
“Yes, I was.”  
“Can I come to the forge?”  
“Not yet, little warrior.”

Fjalin was just starting to pout when Fili lowered himself down. “You know who I met today?”

Fjalin and Embla shook their heads. Both of them were beautiful children who had inherited their father’s golden hair and blue eyes, and there was no doubt that both of them would have many suitors once they had reached maturity. 

Fili got up with a smile and stood aside, and Kili stepped in with a grin.

“UNCLE KAMDI!” The children screamed simultaneously and threw themselves at Kili with full force. Kili laughed and swept little Fjalin up before pulling Embla into a hug.

“Did you bring something, Uncle?” Fjalin asked. “Did you?”

Kili weighed his head in mock thoughtfulness before reaching for a pouch on his belt. From that, he produced something wrapped in oiled parchment. The children squealed in delight when the contents turned out to be small, cherry sized sweets known as honey balls that Kili frequently bought in the Shire.

Of course everyone in the mountain knew that Kamdi was not the children’s real uncle. Rather, Kamdi had been a friend of Felin’s since their childhood and they had been shield-brothers in many a fight before Felin had decided to return to the roots of the mountains.

Fili closed the door behind his brother, who had both arms full of dwarflings, and then went to greet his wife who stood at the stove stirring in a large pot. 

“Good evening, my love,” she said with a smile as Fili slung both arms around her from behind. “And good evening, Kamdi. Welcome, make yourself at home.”  
“I’m not given a choice,” Kili replied with a laugh. He had sat down on the bench at the table and had Embla snuggling into his embrace while Fjalin had made himself comfortable on his lap. Both children were busily making short work of the honey balls.

Ecka took another bowl and spoon from the shelf and placed both in front of Kili. Then she put the bread in a basket that she put on the table. Both Kili and the children immediately reached for the chunks of bread. 

“Sometimes I have no idea how to feed that lot,” Ecka laughed. “They eat us out of house and home.”  
Kili inclined his head towards Fjalin. “They have to grow strong.” Then he nodded at Embla. “And healthy.”  
“I am strong!” Fjalin said.  
“Doubtlessly,” Kili gave back earnestly. “Have you started training yet?”  
“No,” Fjalin said with a scowl.  
“Two more years,” Fili said. “Then you’re ready to start.”

“What about me?” Embla sat up and moved a bit away from her uncle.  
“What about you?” Fili asked and nodded at his wife who had just put a bowl filled with stew in front of him.  
“I want to start training too!”  
“Well.” Fili helped himself to a chunk of bread. “Dwarrowdams usually don’t become warriors, little gemstone.”

Embla frowned and crossed her arms. But Fili had to admit that she would surely be a striking woman once she had reached adulthood. She had her mother’s strong bones and muscles and if she had also inherited Fili’s talent for sword fighting... thinking about it, it was hard to imagine her sitting with her needlework and a dwarfling rather than wielding twin blades like her father.

Fili took a spoonful of stew and chewed thoughtfully.

“You know what,” he said eventually. “I have a lot to do in the forges right now, there is a large order we have to deliver, but as soon as that is done I will have more time on my hands. Then I will go with you down to the Halls of Training and we see what they say.”

Embla had a hard time restraining herself and she was trembling with barely suppressed joy. Kili smiled fondly down at her. 

Shortly after dinner the children were sent to bed, under great protest, but as soon as they had fallen asleep the three adults retreated into the hearth chamber and made themselves comfortable in large armchairs after lighting their pipes. Shire weed, a gift from Kili for Fili and Ecka.

“What news from the east, brother?” Fili asked after blowing a nice little smoke ring.  
“From what I heard, Dain has made good progress in restoring trade routes,” Kili replied. “Twice I met a group of dwarrow who were on their way to Erebor, meaning to settle down there.”  
Fili nodded. “That’s good to hear.”

They smoked in silence for a while before Kili stretched out his long legs and took a deep breath.

“You know we were in the Shire.”

Fili and Ecka exchanged a mildly worried look.

Kili looked up. “And you know... I guess news about a group of dwarfish traders and blacksmiths travels quickly there.”  
“And?” Fili lowered his pipe.  
After another long huff of breath, Kili shrugged. “I can’t be sure. He was there, even if he did no trading. He was just there, watching us. And he looked so sad...” He shook his head. “I almost went over to stand him an ale. I didn’t, of course. But...”  
“But?”

Kili bit his lip. “I’m not sure, but he gave me a strange look. I think he may have recognised me.”

During the many years after they had left Erebor behind, Kili had matured as well. He wore braids in his hair and had a fine, braided beard too, but Bilbo had been so familiar with all of them that he would not have been fooled by a different hairstyle. 

“Did he talk to you?” Fili asked slowly.  
“No.” Kili lifted his pipe. “He just looked at me. Either he thought he mistook me for Kili or he saw right through the guise and knew it for what it is.”

Fili stared into the fireplace.

“I would not worry, brother.” Kili exhaled a cloud of smoke. “If he recognised me, he gave no sign of it to anyone else. He knows well that we would not fake our own deaths just for the fun of it, and even if I had gone and indeed had had an ale with him, he would never breathe a word to anyone.”  
“True.” The smile on Fili’s face was back. “Maybe you should try and talk to him next time you are there. I am sure he would appreciate it. And I believe you, Bilbo Baggins would never give us away.”

Their talk turned from there to reminiscing about the old times, their journey to the mountain, and they focussed on the good things: The mischief in Bag End, the pranks they played on the elves in Rivendell. Parasites as big as an arm. And the hopes for the new kingdom of Erebor to return to her old glory. 

Ecka went to bed late in the evening, but the two brothers stayed up, talking in low voices until the fire had burned down to nothing but glowing embers.


	3. Chapter 3

The children had been over the moon when they had been informed they would stay with their Sigin’Amad for a few days, even if it wasn’t to do them a favour – which it did, but the primary goal was that Fili and Ecka wanted a few days just to themselves to celebrate.

So when Fili came home that evening the kitchen was warm but unusually quiet. He smiled to himself when he realised how quickly he had gotten used to the bustle and cheerful noise his two pebbles had brought into his life and home. 

Having heard the door to their quarters Ecka now emerged from the hearth chamber, clad in her best dress, the one Fili loved so much. The low neckline accentuated her ample chest without being revealing, and the accents, from the fur of a mountain lion Fili had brought down himself, were a wonderful contrast to her dark, silky curls. 

Braided into her hair was the chain of beads Fili had given to her upon the birth of their daughter, and she wore the necklace he had given to her after she had given birth to their son. 

So there she stood, smiling at him, her lovely mouth curved into an enticing smile, her dark eyes shining with love, the curls bobbing around her face. In her hair she wore the beads of rose quartz, the stone of love, and pink tourmaline, the symbol of comfort and safety, and around her neck she wore beads of the green sardonyx for lasting happiness in marriage surrounding an emerald, the stone of harmony, wisdom and love. 

He would never have had to bedeck her in jewels, as apt as their meaning might be, but to see her like this made her the very essence of love, fertility, safety and comfort to him.

“How blessed I am,” Fili whispered, struck by awe and love in the knowledge that this wonderful woman was his and his alone. “Blessed by Mahal and the very blood of the earth to have found you.”  
Ecka’s smile widened. “He has blessed both of us, for I thank him every day that he has led your way to me, my golden prince.”

She stepped closer and rested a gentle hand on his cheek. 

“You should not come too close; I am still dirty from the forges.” Fili kissed her fingertips and smiled. “I would not wish to ruin your lovely attire.”  
“Then come with me,” she said in a low voice. “I have rented a chamber of the bath house for tonight so you can clean up and relax. I have packed food and drink and also clean clothes for you.”  
“Blessed and twice blessed,” Fili whispered and shook his head. “Thank you, my gemstone.”

Ecka took the large basket and they left and locked the door. Fili followed her, his hands itching to toy with the curls that ran freely down her back, her hair only half tamed and braided because he loved her unruly curls so much and she knew it well. But his fingers were still sooty, so he contended himself with watching a particular single curl teeter behind her ear. He memorized that curl for later. 

They ascended the stairs side by side, and at one point Fili looked up at the ceiling above. He remembered the dim, grand halls of Erebor, the ceiling as far away as the sky, the grandeur of carvings and columns... but this, Greythorn Peak that was humbled by those great halls, was his home. More than Ered Luin had ever been. More than Erebor would ever have. He needed neither grandeur nor royal privileges. Just the woman at his side, the solid bedrock around him, his two pebbles kissing him goodnight. 

Peace and happiness. 

Ecka looked up at him with a smile, and Fili felt his breath catch in his throat. He had never thought it possible to love someone this much. The pain and agony he had gone through after the battle for Erebor seemed ridiculously low a price if this was what Mahal had chosen to bestow onto him in return. 

Having reached the bath house Ecka paid the serving maid a few coins, and the young dwarrowdam bowed and led them into a set of chambers. The first one was the dressing room to undress from which a door led into the bathing chamber proper. 

Not bothered by finery Fili had just dropped his clothes as they came off, and he had eagerly entered the bath chamber in search of hot water. To get rid of the dust and soot from the forge he poured a bucket of warm water over his head, followed by another one, and he turned around when he heard the door close. 

Blinking the water out of his eyes, Fili froze. 

There she was, the soul of the mountain, his own gemstone, clad in naught but the gems he had given her. His charm, his jewel, the greatest treasure a mountain could ever have given him.

And now, with her pale, healthy skin in such abundance, her ample breasts and full hips not hidden by gown or garment, the marks her pregnancies had left no blemishes but signs of her love and strength, now Fili looked at her and was about to weep in joy while simultaneously, his breath caught in his throat. 

“Should we not wait until you are fresh and clean, my love?” Ecka asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

Fili could only smile crookedly; he was naked and thus, there was no denying what he felt and what the sight of her did to him and his body. 

“Maybe,” he said huskily. “But maybe I might just perish if I cannot have you this very minute.”

Lowering her eyelids Ecka stepped closer, and Fili took notice again, apart from everything else, of that enticing little curl behind her right ear. He cautiously reached out and stuck his little finger into the ringlet, pulled, and let it spring back again. A soft chuckle escaped her and her eyes crinkled with joy. 

“What will you do my love when all my curls have gone dull and grey with age?” She asked with a wink.  
“I will cherish each and every one of them,” Fili replied and stepped closer. “For they will remind me that I got to spend my whole lifetime with you, watching them turn to silver.”

Ecka bit her lips and blinked a shimmer of moisture away. “My love...” She whispered.  
Fili took another step forward and rested his hands on her bare shoulders for a moment before running them down her back. “Come here,” he whispered as well and pulled her close and into a kiss. 

With his hard and eager manhood now trapped between their bodies and pressed against Ecka’s soft and supple skin a flash of fire shot through Fili’s groin, and he pulled her even closer. Their kiss turned from tender to hungry within a heartbeat.

An intricate system of piping provided the bath house with underfloor heating and hot water, and the temperature was warm enough to be comfortable when naked, so they were not in a hurry to get into the basin filled with fresh hot water. 

“Should we not proceed to get clean, my love?” Ecka breathed with fluttering eyelids as Fili nipped the skin on the side of her neck while also helping himself to two good handful of Ecka’s ample backside.   
“We should,” Fili muttered against her skin while showing no inclination to do so.  
Ecka chuckled. “You feel more relaxed and refreshed when properly clean after labouring in the forges.”  
“I know.” Fili leaned back without removing his hands. “But the hot water is maybe too relaxing.”  
“I doubt it,” Ecka all but purred while pressing her groin against his, eliciting a low hum from him. “I doubt that very much, my love.”

This time, it was Fili who chuckled. “You seem utterly convinced.”  
“I am.” Ecka stepped back. “Come. Enjoy the water, I will get the food.”

Fili arched his back and headed for the basin that was hewn into the stone floor. The water was warm, very warm in fact, but not as hot as he had expected. It was a very pleasant warmth. Maybe just this side of hot to be not too relaxing. The walls of the basin were lined with benches, hewn from the stone as well, and he sat down, letting the warmth of the water soak into his tired muscles. 

Not long after Ecka knelt down next to him on the floor and put down a small tray with cheese cubes, morsels of cooked ham, slices of apple and cubes of bread. Next to that she set two stone mugs full of dark ale. Fili felt his mouth water.

He looked up at Ecka with a fond smile. “Come join me in the water, love.”

Ecka smiled back and did just that. She sat down next to Fili on the stone bench, and since the water almost reached their shoulders they were warm while still being able to eat comfortably. Yet when Fili reached for the tray, Ecka forestalled him and picked up a piece of meat. She offered this to Fili with a smile, and Fili ate it from her fingers, kissing the fingertips as he did so.

Sitting side by side in the warm water they continued to feed each other until only one last piece of apple remained. Ecka reached it first and took it between her lips, yet just kept it there. Smiling with lowered eyelids Fili leaned forward to conquer that last piece of apple. It was relinquished willingly, and after he had eaten it, he claimed her lips again in a kiss that tasted of apples and love.

After they had parted, Ecka left the stone bench and walked a few steps away towards the centre of the basin where the water was warmest. She held out a hand and Fili got up as well to join her there, and with the water now reaching just above their hips they embraced for another passionate kiss. 

Skin on skin, slicked by warm water, they kissed, and their passion quickly turned into hunger. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies, up and down arms and the other’s back, and both of them were moaning softly into the kiss. 

Eventually they had to part for air and Fili cradled her face in his hands. “My love,” he whispered. “My beautiful love. I can scarce believe it has been ten years, and yet you have given me two wonderful, strong and healthy children already.”   
Ecka ran a gentle finger across Fili’s cheek and along his jaw, combing it through his beard. “And Mahal willing, I would gladly bear you more.”

Fili could do nothing else but sigh as he pulled her close. He kissed her cheek and trailed soft kisses down the side of her neck and across her shoulders. Lowering himself into a bit of a crouch he could trail his kisses further down, towards her soft, dusky nipples that hardened into two lovely pearls as if they were eagerly awaiting him. She dropped her head back with a moan when Fili took one between his lips and the other between a gentle thumb and forefinger. She closed her hands around his shoulders but after a moment moved them up to bury them into his golden mane. 

After having worshipped her lovely breasts Fili straightened up again, and their eyes met with both of them breathing heavily. He pulled her close again, his hands roaming the curves of her body, until they found the triangle of soft curls. Ecka dropped her head onto his shoulder as he gently explored the silky warmth between her legs. 

It was when Ecka’s breath came fast and heavy that he removed his hand, and with a strong and gentle grip around her hips he lifted her up. Ecka closed her legs around his hips and her arms around his shoulders, and Fili entered her body without resistance. A heavy moan escaped both of them. 

The warm water made it easier for Fili to hold her, yet his strong arms would have been able to hold her even out of the water. He moved gently, and she met his every thrust, and their soft moans mingled with heavy breaths and the gentle sloshing of the water around them. 

As always, Fili held himself back until she had found her satisfaction first, but he did not need long to find his own after that. They stayed like this a while longer, Ecka with her arms and legs around him being held by his strong arms, until he slipped out of her again. 

Smiling and with their breathing slowly calming down they settled down on the bench again for a refreshing drink of the dark, rich mountain ale. 

After that, Ecka took great delight in un-braiding and washing Fili’s hair, and Fili hummed in contentment as she massaged his scalp and then his shoulders. 

But as pleasant and enjoyable as the bath and the warmth was, eventually they had to leave the basin again and they chuckled at the sight of their wrinkled fingers and toes. After they had dried and dressed, Ecka packed the empty tray and mugs into her basket again and they headed home, warm and sated and happy. 

Their home was still and silent without their children, and they headed for the bedroom without further ado. 

Ecka sat down on the bed and began to undo the braids in her hair and carefully removed the beads while Fili stoked the fire. Once that was burning and crackled merrily in the large hearth, he returned to the bed and helped Ecka with her hair. He toyed with her curls for a while before he proceeded towards the lacing of her dress. 

Slowly, piece by piece, the two divested each other of their clothing, enjoying and greeting every inch of skin laid bare with soft and gentle kisses. Once naked they lay down curled up around each other with their legs entwined and their hands roaming each other’s skin. 

At one point Ecka broke the kiss again and sat up, caressing Fili’s muscular chest with a gentle hand. 

“My love,” she whispered. “My beautiful golden prince. Sometimes I feel my hunger for you can never be slaked.”  
Fili chuckled with a soft smile and even softer eyes. “The same is true for me, Ecka, my gemstone. I would never have been able to imagine that it is possible to love and desire someone so much.”

Ecka smiled down at him and let her hand roam lower, past his navel and then followed the line of hair that thickened into a triangle of dark, sandy curls. The inhabitant of the cosy little nest was already eagerly awaiting her approach and with a fond smile, Ecka closed her hand around it. Fili closed his eyes with a low, long hum. 

“Ecka,” he whispered urgently as he felt the cool silk of her hair brush the skin of his thighs. “Mahal...”  
“I am just making sure,” she said, a hint of mischief in both her voice and her eyes.  
“Of what?” Fili lifted his head to look at her.  
“If you are sufficiently clean, my heart.”  
“Oh...” But any other word got stuck in his throat, and his head fell back into the pillow again.

Words failed him and he could only feel the wet heat and the indescribable pleasure her lips and tongue brought him. He had believed himself to be sated, but his hunger came back threefold now. Hunger turned to fire in his veins and he suddenly felt the heat gather all in one spot. Her name coming from his lips in a moan that was almost a shout Fili came again, and with a soft hum of pleasure, Ecka swallowed everything he had to give. 

She held him in her arms, his head resting on a soft breast and her fingers carding through his hair, until his senses and his wits had returned to him. With a sigh, he reached out and cupped her cheek in one hand. She turned her head and kissed his fingertips, and with a somewhat laborious move, Fili sat up again. After kissing her he pushed her onto her back and knelt beside her. 

“I will have to return the favour, my gemstone,” he said in a husky whisper and watched with delight how her eyes darkened with desire. 

He loved nothing more than to listen to the sounds she made when they made love, but there were things they could not do very often. This, however, was the reason why the children would spent a few days with Ecka’s mother, for once Fili had lowered his head between her legs, Ecka had no longer control over the sounds she made. 

Snuggled up tightly against each other the two rested for a bit, exchanging soft, lazy kisses, and they made love one more time, slowly and passionately. They fell asleep, tired, warm and sated, in a lover’s embrace, as tightly together as they could, while the fire slowly burned down into glowing embers that left the room lit in a dim, orange glow before they went dark.


End file.
